A crown fire set as part of a prescribed burn

NPS Photo

Most lodgepole pine forests in the park are of uniform age due to decades of fire suppression. The mosaic of different-aged trees is gone. As lodgepole pine forests grow older, their dense canopies become more flammable. Prolonged drought and high winds can then set the stage for catastrophic crown fires, with flames leaping from the tallest branches to over 100 feet (30m), sending burning embers into the air ¼ mile (0.4km) ahead of the main fire.

Fire burning in Yellowstone Park in 1988

NPS Photo

During the summer of 1988, crown fires roared through Yellowstone National Park, burning hundreds of thousands of acres of lodgepole pine forests. The summer of 1988 was the driest in Yellowstone’s recorded history. It was also one of the windiest. Although over 10,000 firefighters were dispatched, autumn’s rains and snows finally extinguished the inferno.

The lodgepole pine forests of Rocky Mountain National Park are very similar to those in Yellowstone. Because of past fire suppression, the park’s forests are also ready for a major conflagration during a severe drought.